McDonald’s Using AI to Reach More Diverse Applicants

The new artificial intelligence software will help write recruitment emails as well.

In order to create a more inclusive hiring process and bring in a diverse group of candidates, McDonald’s partnered with Textio, an augmented writing platform. On March 8, Textio announced McDonald’s would use software to streamline and improve the recruitment and hiring process. The software will also help craft gender-neutral job posts using McDonald’s brand language.

Each year, McDonald’s receives about 20 million applications and makes roughly 2 million hires. By using the new software from Textio, the fast-food chain can “not only recruit and hire faster, but also to ensure they reach top-quality applicants in an inclusive manner,” according to a statement.

"At McDonald's, our goal is to create feel good moments that ensure everyone feels welcome and included. That starts with the language we use when we reach out to you as a candidate," Joshua Secrest, McDonald's senior director of global talent attraction, said in a statement. "Textio's innovative augmented writing platform will give us the insights to know, in real time, whether the language we are using is attracting the most qualified and diverse candidates we can."

This move comes as McDonald’s is increasingly incorporating technology into all aspects of the brand, from self-ordering kiosks to this application in the company’s human resources department.

Textio collects hiring data and results from millions of job listings around the world to expertly craft job listings. Each month the company collects 10 million new documents to increase the data pool. This partnership will alleviate headaches for both recruiters and applicants.

“Partnering with one of the world’s most iconic brands is such a treat (pun intended). I’m excited to see McDonald’s embrace augmented writing and modernize their recruiting process,” said Kieran Snyder, co-founder and CEO, Textio. “This partnership will change the experience of millions of people applying to McDonald’s every year and allow McDonald’s to showcase its unique culture in the language that they use.”

The announcement was made on International Women’s Day and was another way to showcase how McDonald’s is dedicated to adding more female representation into all aspects of the company. According to a statement, currently, 30 percent of McDonald’s officer positions and 41 percent of staff positions at director level and above are held by women globally, and in the US, 60 percent of all restaurant managers are women. “By 2023, the company aims to improve the representation of women at all levels of McDonald’s, achieve gender equality in career advancement, and champion the impact of women on the business,” the company said in a statement.